Lawmaker: Chinese J-31, J-20 ‘Mirror’ American F-35, F-22

Lawmaker: Chinese J-31, J-20 ‘Mirror’ American F-35, F-22 by Brendan McGarry on September 29, 2015 A U.S. senator asked Pentagon officials why the government hasn’t retaliated against China for copying the designs of its most advanced fighter jets. Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat from West Virginia, said the Chengdu J-20 twin-engine stealth fighter bears similarity to the F-22 Raptor made by Lockheed Martin Corp., while the Shenyang J-31 twin-engine multi-role fighter resembles the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter design also made by Lockheed. “What they’ve been able to do in such a rapid period of time without any R&D, do you believe that that gives them a competitive advantage?” Manchin said on Tuesday during a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee on cybersecurity. “I mean, I understand there might be some differences as far as in the software and the weaponry and this a...